On Friday, January 26, 2007 at 1:32 AM, fourteen Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, one LAFD Rescue Ambulance, one Arson Unit, three LAFD Helicopters, one Water Tender, one EMS Battalion Captain, two Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams and one Division Chief Officer Command Team, a total of 86 Los Angeles Fire Department personnel under the direction of Battalion Chief Lawrence Schneider, responded to a Brush Fire near 1231 North Bel Air Road in Bel Air.

The first arriving Firefighters, responding to a geographically vague call from remote Stone Canyon, were deftly guided to the distant blaze by the first of three LAFD Helicopters to arrive on-scene.

As the Fire Department's aerial reconnaissance and command support airship coordinated the ground response and illuminated the locale with its 30-million candlepower spotlight, it was soon joined by a pair of larger water-dropping LAFD helicopters that commenced a synchronous aerial attack on the flames, which briefly threatened three homes atop the steep canyon.

Arriving in windless conditions to find one-quarter acre of thick, highly flammable vegetation burning in a nearly vertical canyon, the first thirty arriving Firefighters skillfully anchored the flames, working in concert with their airborne colleagues to limit fire spread to less than one acre and fully extinguish the flames in less than 45 minutes.

No structures were damaged. There were no injuries or evacuations.

Firefighters who remained on scene checking for hot-spots into the early morning hours, were quick to credit the vigilant neighbor who first reported the fire, and offered praise to residents of the Bel Air community for their willing compliance with the City's strict year-round brush clearance requirements.

The cause of this early morning blaze remains under active investigation.


Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department